The Phylogenetic Position of a New Species of Plakobranchus From

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Phylogenetic Position of a New Species of Plakobranchus From A peer-reviewed open-access journal ZooKeys 594: 73–98The (2016)phylogenetic position of a new species of Plakobranchus from West Papua... 73 doi: 10.3897/zookeys.594.5954 RESEARCH ARTICLE http://zookeys.pensoft.net Launched to accelerate biodiversity research The phylogenetic position of a new species of Plakobranchus from West Papua, Indonesia (Mollusca, Opisthobranchia, Sacoglossa) María Angélica Meyers-Muñoz1, Gerard van der Velde1,2, Sancia E.T. van der Meij2,3, Bart E.M.W. Stoffels1, Theo van Alen4, Yosephine Tuti5, Bert W. Hoeksema2 1 Radboud University Nijmegen, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Department of Animal Ecology and Physiology, P.O. Box 9010, 6500 GL Nijmegen, The Netherlands2 Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Dar- winweg 2, 2333 CR Leiden, The Netherlands 3 Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PW, United Kingdom 4 Radboud University Nijmegen, Institute for Water and Wetland Rese- arch, Department of Microbiology, P.O. Box 9010, 6500 GL Nijmegen, The Netherlands5 Research Centre for Oceanography (RCO), Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Jl. Pasir Putih I, Ancol Timur, Jakarta 14430, Indonesia Corresponding author: Bert W. Hoeksema ([email protected]) Academic editor: N. Yonow | Received 29 October 2014 | Accepted 9 May 2016 | Published 30 May 2016 http://zoobank.org/570A4DC3-0CA8-4F7A-967F-3AED002FC3F4 Citation: Meyers-Muñoz MA, van der Velde G, van der Meij SET, Stoffels BEMW, van Alen T, Tuti Y, Hoeksema BW (2016) The phylogenetic position of a new species of Plakobranchus from West Papua, Indonesia (Mollusca, Opisthobranchia, Sacoglossa). ZooKeys 594: 73–98. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.594.5954 Abstract Plakobranchus papua Meyers-Muñoz & van der Velde, sp. n. from West Papua (Papua Barat province, Indonesia), is described based on its external morphology, colour pattern, internal anatomy, radula and reproductive system. In a molecular phylogenetic study specimens of this new species were compared with those of ten candidate taxa under the name Plakobranchus ocellatus van Hasselt, 1824. DNA analyses of COI mtDNA showed a clear distinction between P. papua sp. n. and “P. ocellatus”. Plakobranchus papua, sp. n. also differed from all taxa that have been synonymised withP. ocellatus. The genus is in dire need of taxonomic revision, preferably based on an integrative analysis involving morphology and DNA of all known Plakobranchus varieties. Keywords COI, phylogeny, Plakobranchus ocellatus, reproductive system, Sacoglossa, taxonomy Copyright María Angélica Meyers-Muñoz et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. 74 María Angélica Meyers-Muñoz et al. / ZooKeys 594: 73–98 (2016) Introduction Sea slugs of the genus Plakobranchus van Hasselt, 1824 (Order Sacoglossa, Suborder Pla- kobranchacea) have an elongated body and dorsoventrally flattened, lateral parapodia, which are folded up on the dorsal surface (van Hasselt 1824; Jensen 1992). According to Jensen (1997a) this genus possesses a number of plesiomorphic characters such as an anterodorsal anus, a pharyngeal pouch, triangular, denticulate teeth, a long, curved penial stylet, and the absence of dorsal vessels. The genus also possesses a number of autapomor- phies: a broad and flat head, rhinophores located at the anterior corners, mediodorsal eyes on a small papilla, numerous longitudinal dorsal lamellae containing branches of the digestive gland, and a truncate tail; the hermaphrodite ampulla has apparently been lost. These animals can be found in shallow sandy habitats, crawling over it or half- buried (Gosliner et al. 2008; Mehrotra et al. 2015), or on coral rubble and in rock pools (Yonow 2008) where they consume green macroalgae (Jensen 1993). Plakobranchus ocellatus van Hasselt, 1824, feeds on a wide variety of marine green algae (Chlorophyta), including at least five species of Ulvophyceae (Wägele et al. 2011). Many studies on Plakobranchus deal with their kleptoplasty, the ability to retain functional chloroplasts from their green algae in their digestive gland cells (Clark et al. 1990; Jensen 1996, 1997a). Species of this genus as well as other sacoglossans belong to the few known animal species with the ability of photosynthesis (Trench 1969; Hirose 2005; Bass 2006; Händeler et al. 2009; Maeda et al. 2010; Wägele et al. 2011; Christa et al. 2013; Yamamoto et al. 2013). Plakobranchus species are simultaneous hermaphrodites, which possess a penial sty- let used in hypodermic insemination. Penial stylets and hypodermic insemination are commonly found within the Sacoglossa (Schmitt et al. 2007; Smolensky et al. 2009). Jensen (1992) also observed extensively branched prostate and albumen glands and a pair of secondary copulatory bursae in Plakobranchus, which are unique for the genus. During the last decades only Plakobranchus ocellatus has been considered a valid spe- cies within the genus (Jensen 1992). This species was described from shallow waters in the Sunda Strait near Anyer, northwest Java, Indonesia. van Hasselt (1824) gave this name because of the blue- and yellow-centred ocellated spots covering the dorsal side and flanks of the body (Figure 1). The original description is based on the species’ phenotype and some characteristics of the parapodial lamellae, heart and reproductive system as shown in the original illustrations supplied by van Hasselt (1824). The namePlakobranchus has occasionally been misspelled as Placobranchus, which started when the original description was translated from Dutch to French in 1824 (Bergh 1887; Jensen 1997a, 1997c). Jensen (1992) studied the anatomy of several Plakobranchus specimens from vari- ous Indo-West Pacific locations (Red Sea, Thailand, Guam) and synonymised the previously described species. The descriptions were mainly based on external anato- my, colour pattern and geographic distribution (Yonow 1990, 2008; Debelius 1996; Jensen 1997a; Marshall and Willan 1999; Gosliner et al. 2008) and hardly included descriptions of the internal anatomy as presented by van Hasselt (1824) and Jensen (1992). Plakobranchus ocellatus is now considered the only known valid species of the The phylogenetic position of a new species of Plakobranchus from West Papua... 75 Figure 1. a–c Plakobranchus ocellatus, drawings by van Hasselt (1824): a dorsal view with parapodia folded up on the dorsal body surface b dorsal view with open parapodia, showing longitudinal lamellae c internal anatomy d–f P. ianthobaptus, drawings by Gould (1852): d dorsal view with parapodia folded up on the dorsal body surface e ventral view f dorsal view with open parapodia, showing longitudinal lamel- lae g–j two Plakobranchus species illustrated by Pease (1871) g–h P. gracilis: g ventral view h dorsal view i–j P. variegatus: i ventral view j dorsal view k–l drawings of P. chlorophacus by Bergh (1873): k dorsal view with parapodia folded up on the dorsal body surface l ventral view with ocellated spots m–n drawings of P. ocellatus by Marcus (1982): m dorsal view with parapodia folded up on the dorsal body surface n dorsal view with open parapodia, showing the longitudinal lamellae (en = pericardium; re = renal prominence). 76 María Angélica Meyers-Muñoz et al. / ZooKeys 594: 73–98 (2016) genus, with ten synonyms and a wide Indo-Pacific distribution (Jensen 2007). This may have been premature (Jensen 1992, 1997a, 1997c), because Gosliner et al. (2008) distinguished two undescribed Plakobranchus species in addition to P. ocellatus. Sub- sequently, Krug et al. (2013), who used the mitochondrial barcoding gene COI and the nuclear histone 3 gene, found ten distinct phylogenetic lineages in Plakobranchus. This suggests that the taxonomy ofPlakobranchus still deserves further study. In the present study a new Plakobranchus species from West Papua, Indonesia, is described and a phylogenetic reconstruction based on the mitochondrial barcoding COI gene is included to show its position within the genus Plakobranchus. Material and methods Twenty specimens were collected by Gerard van der Velde in Indonesia during the 2007 Raja Ampat Expedition (Figure 2; Hoeksema and van der Meij 2008). The speci- mens were observed alive, photographed, and subsequently preserved in 96% ethanol. Material analysed in this study was deposited in the mollusc collection of Natura- lis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, The Netherlands, and catalogued as RMNH.MOL. One specimen of P. ocellatus (RMNH.MOL.336426), collected in the Philippines, 4 November 1999 (Sta. CEB.01, Cebu Strait, E side of Olango Island 10°15'54"N 124°04'17"E, coll. BWH) was used for comparison of external characters with the new species in absence of the holotype of P. ocellatus (Figures 7b–d). The original draw- ings of van Hasselt (1824) are available in scientific archives of Naturalis Biodiversity Center and reprinted here (Figures 1a–c). To study the radula, the buccal masses of two specimens were dissected and im- mersed in 10% NaOH until the tissue surrounding the radulae was dissolved. The radulae were rinsed in distilled water and transferred to 70% ethanol. They were sub- sequently examined by means of a light microscope, photographed, mounted on stubs, and gold-sputter-coated for scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Eight specimens were dissected for anatomical studies. One specimen (Table 1) was dehydrated in a graded ethanol series, embedded in
Recommended publications
  • Genomic Insight Into the Host–Endosymbiont Relationship of Endozoicomonas Montiporae CL-33T with Its Coral Host
    ORIGINAL RESEARCH published: 08 March 2016 doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00251 Genomic Insight into the Host–Endosymbiont Relationship of Endozoicomonas montiporae CL-33T with its Coral Host Jiun-Yan Ding 1, Jia-Ho Shiu 1, Wen-Ming Chen 2, Yin-Ru Chiang 1 and Sen-Lin Tang 1* 1 Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, 2 Department of Seafood Science, Laboratory of Microbiology, National Kaohsiung Marine University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan The bacterial genus Endozoicomonas was commonly detected in healthy corals in many coral-associated bacteria studies in the past decade. Although, it is likely to be a core member of coral microbiota, little is known about its ecological roles. To decipher potential interactions between bacteria and their coral hosts, we sequenced and investigated the first culturable endozoicomonal bacterium from coral, the E. montiporae CL-33T. Its genome had potential sign of ongoing genome erosion and gene exchange with its Edited by: Rekha Seshadri, host. Testosterone degradation and type III secretion system are commonly present in Department of Energy Joint Genome Endozoicomonas and may have roles to recognize and deliver effectors to their hosts. Institute, USA Moreover, genes of eukaryotic ephrin ligand B2 are present in its genome; presumably, Reviewed by: this bacterium could move into coral cells via endocytosis after binding to coral’s Eph Kathleen M. Morrow, University of New Hampshire, USA receptors. In addition, 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine triphosphatase and isocitrate lyase Jean-Baptiste Raina, are possible type III secretion effectors that might help coral to prevent mitochondrial University of Technology Sydney, Australia dysfunction and promote gluconeogenesis, especially under stress conditions.
    [Show full text]
  • Frontiers in Zoology Biomed Central
    Frontiers in Zoology BioMed Central Research Open Access Functional chloroplasts in metazoan cells - a unique evolutionary strategy in animal life Katharina Händeler*1, Yvonne P Grzymbowski1, Patrick J Krug2 and Heike Wägele1 Address: 1Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany and 2Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Los Angeles, California, 90032-8201, USA Email: Katharina Händeler* - [email protected]; Yvonne P Grzymbowski - [email protected]; Patrick J Krug - [email protected]; Heike Wägele - [email protected] * Corresponding author Published: 1 December 2009 Received: 26 June 2009 Accepted: 1 December 2009 Frontiers in Zoology 2009, 6:28 doi:10.1186/1742-9994-6-28 This article is available from: http://www.frontiersinzoology.com/content/6/1/28 © 2009 Händeler et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Abstract Background: Among metazoans, retention of functional diet-derived chloroplasts (kleptoplasty) is known only from the sea slug taxon Sacoglossa (Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia). Intracellular maintenance of plastids in the slug's digestive epithelium has long attracted interest given its implications for understanding the evolution of endosymbiosis. However, photosynthetic ability varies widely among sacoglossans; some species have no plastid retention while others survive for months solely on photosynthesis. We present a molecular phylogenetic hypothesis for the Sacoglossa and a survey of kleptoplasty from representatives of all major clades. We sought to quantify variation in photosynthetic ability among lineages, identify phylogenetic origins of plastid retention, and assess whether kleptoplasty was a key character in the radiation of the Sacoglossa.
    [Show full text]
  • Endozoicomonas Are Specific, Facultative Symbionts of Sea Squirts
    ORIGINAL RESEARCH published: 12 July 2016 doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.01042 Endozoicomonas Are Specific, Facultative Symbionts of Sea Squirts Lars Schreiber 1*, Kasper U. Kjeldsen 1, Peter Funch 2, Jeppe Jensen 1, Matthias Obst 3, Susanna López-Legentil 4 and Andreas Schramm 1 1 Department of Bioscience, Center for Geomicrobiology and Section for Microbiology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark, 2 Section of Genetics, Ecology and Evolution, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark, 3 Department of Marine Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden, 4 Department of Biology and Marine Biology, Center for Marine Science, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington NC, USA Ascidians are marine filter feeders and harbor diverse microbiota that can exhibit a high degree of host-specificity. Pharyngeal samples of Scandinavian and Mediterranean ascidians were screened for consistently associated bacteria by culture-dependent and -independent approaches. Representatives of the Endozoicomonas (Gammaproteobacteria, Hahellaceae) clade were detected in the ascidian species Ascidiella aspersa, Ascidiella scabra, Botryllus schlosseri, Ciona intestinalis, Styela clava, and multiple Ascidia/Ascidiella spp. In total, Endozoicomonas was detected in more than half of all specimens screened, and in 25–100% of the specimens for each species. The retrieved Endozoicomonas 16S rRNA gene sequences formed an ascidian-specific subclade, whose members were detected by fluorescence Edited by: in situ hybridization (FISH) as extracellular microcolonies in the pharynx. Two strains Joerg Graf, of the ascidian-specific Endozoicomonas subclade were isolated in pure culture and University of Connecticut, USA characterized. Both strains are chemoorganoheterotrophs and grow on mucin (a Reviewed by: Silvia Bulgheresi, mucus glycoprotein). The strains tested negative for cytotoxic or antibacterial activity.
    [Show full text]
  • The Phylogenetic Position of a New Species of Plakobranchus from West Papua, Indonesia (Mollusca, Opisthobranchia, Sacoglossa)
    PDF hosted at the Radboud Repository of the Radboud University Nijmegen The following full text is a publisher's version. For additional information about this publication click this link. http://hdl.handle.net/2066/162041 Please be advised that this information was generated on 2021-09-23 and may be subject to change. A peer-reviewed open-access journal ZooKeys 594: 73–98The (2016)phylogenetic position of a new species of Plakobranchus from West Papua... 73 doi: 10.3897/zookeys.594.5954 RESEARCH ARTICLE http://zookeys.pensoft.net Launched to accelerate biodiversity research The phylogenetic position of a new species of Plakobranchus from West Papua, Indonesia (Mollusca, Opisthobranchia, Sacoglossa) María Angélica Meyers-Muñoz1, Gerard van der Velde1,2, Sancia E.T. van der Meij2,3, Bart E.M.W. Stoffels1, Theo van Alen4, Yosephine Tuti5, Bert W. Hoeksema2 1 Radboud University Nijmegen, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Department of Animal Ecology and Physiology, P.O. Box 9010, 6500 GL Nijmegen, The Netherlands2 Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Dar- winweg 2, 2333 CR Leiden, The Netherlands 3 Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PW, United Kingdom 4 Radboud University Nijmegen, Institute for Water and Wetland Rese- arch, Department of Microbiology, P.O. Box 9010, 6500 GL Nijmegen, The Netherlands5 Research Centre for Oceanography (RCO), Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Jl. Pasir Putih I, Ancol Timur, Jakarta 14430, Indonesia Corresponding author: Bert W. Hoeksema ([email protected]) Academic editor: N. Yonow | Received 29 October 2014 | Accepted 9 May 2016 | Published 30 May 2016 http://zoobank.org/570A4DC3-0CA8-4F7A-967F-3AED002FC3F4 Citation: Meyers-Muñoz MA, van der Velde G, van der Meij SET, Stoffels BEMW, van Alen T, Tuti Y, Hoeksema BW (2016) The phylogenetic position of a new species of Plakobranchus from West Papua, Indonesia (Mollusca, Opisthobranchia, Sacoglossa).
    [Show full text]
  • An Established Population of the Alien Sea Slug Elysia Grandifolia Kelaart, 1858 (Mollusca, Opisthobranchia, Elysiidae) Off the Mediterranean Coast of Israel
    BioInvasions Records (2012) Volume 1, Issue 3: 221–223 Open Access doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.3391/bir.2012.1.3.08 © 2012 The Author(s). Journal compilation © 2012 REABIC Short Communication An established population of the alien sea slug Elysia grandifolia Kelaart, 1858 (Mollusca, Opisthobranchia, Elysiidae) off the Mediterranean coast of Israel Galia Pasternak¹ and Bella S. Galil²* 1 Marine and Coastal Environment Division, Ministry of Environmental Protection, POB 811, Haifa 31007, Israel 2 National Institute of Oceanography, Israel Oceanographic & Limnological Research, POB 8030, Haifa 31080, Israel E-mail: [email protected] (GP), [email protected] (BSG) *Corresponding author Received: 13 August 2012 / Accepted: 12 September 2012 / Published online: 15 September 2012 Abstract The alien sacoglossan opisthobranch Elysia grandifolia, first recorded in the Levantine basin, eastern Mediterranean Sea, in 2001, has established a flourishing population along the Mediterranean coast of Israel. In August 2012 large numbers were observed on bryopsidacean- covered rocky outcrops off the central Mediterranean coast of Israel. Pairs of specimens and clusters of several individuals with extended penes may be copulatory aggregations. Key words: Elysia grandifolia; Mollusca; Opisthobranchia; Bryopsidaceae; Mediterranean; invasive alien Introduction Material and methods Elysia grandifolia Kelaart, 1858 has a wide Large numbers of E. grandifolia were noted by distribution in the Indo-West Pacific Ocean, the senior author (GP) on rocky outcrops 200
    [Show full text]
  • Biodiversity Journal, 2020, 11 (4): 861–870
    Biodiversity Journal, 2020, 11 (4): 861–870 https://doi.org/10.31396/Biodiv.Jour.2020.11.4.861.870 The biodiversity of the marine Heterobranchia fauna along the central-eastern coast of Sicily, Ionian Sea Andrea Lombardo* & Giuliana Marletta Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences - Section of Animal Biology, University of Catania, via Androne 81, 95124 Catania, Italy *Corresponding author: [email protected] ABSTRACT The first updated list of the marine Heterobranchia for the central-eastern coast of Sicily (Italy) is here reported. This study was carried out, through a total of 271 scuba dives, from 2017 to the beginning of 2020 in four sites located along the Ionian coasts of Sicily: Catania, Aci Trezza, Santa Maria La Scala and Santa Tecla. Through a photographic data collection, 95 taxa, representing 17.27% of all Mediterranean marine Heterobranchia, were reported. The order with the highest number of found species was that of Nudibranchia. Among the study areas, Catania, Santa Maria La Scala and Santa Tecla had not a remarkable difference in the number of species, while Aci Trezza had the lowest number of species. Moreover, among the 95 taxa, four species considered rare and six non-indigenous species have been recorded. Since the presence of a high diversity of sea slugs in a relatively small area, the central-eastern coast of Sicily could be considered a zone of high biodiversity for the marine Heterobranchia fauna. KEY WORDS diversity; marine Heterobranchia; Mediterranean Sea; sea slugs; species list. Received 08.07.2020; accepted 08.10.2020; published online 20.11.2020 INTRODUCTION more researches were carried out (Cattaneo Vietti & Chemello, 1987).
    [Show full text]
  • Epibenthic Mobile Invertebrates Along the Florida Reef Tract: Diversity and Community Structure Kristin Netchy University of South Florida, [email protected]
    University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 3-21-2014 Epibenthic Mobile Invertebrates along the Florida Reef Tract: Diversity and Community Structure Kristin Netchy University of South Florida, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, Other Education Commons, and the Other Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons Scholar Commons Citation Netchy, Kristin, "Epibenthic Mobile Invertebrates along the Florida Reef Tract: Diversity and Community Structure" (2014). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/5085 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Epibenthic Mobile Invertebrates along the Florida Reef Tract: Diversity and Community Structure by Kristin H. Netchy A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Department of Marine Science College of Marine Science University of South Florida Major Professor: Pamela Hallock Muller, Ph.D. Kendra L. Daly, Ph.D. Kathleen S. Lunz, Ph.D. Date of Approval: March 21, 2014 Keywords: Echinodermata, Mollusca, Arthropoda, guilds, coral, survey Copyright © 2014, Kristin H. Netchy DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to Dr. Gustav Paulay, whom I was fortunate enough to meet as an undergraduate. He has not only been an inspiration to me for over ten years, but he was the first to believe in me, trust me, and encourage me.
    [Show full text]
  • OREGON ESTUARINE INVERTEBRATES an Illustrated Guide to the Common and Important Invertebrate Animals
    OREGON ESTUARINE INVERTEBRATES An Illustrated Guide to the Common and Important Invertebrate Animals By Paul Rudy, Jr. Lynn Hay Rudy Oregon Institute of Marine Biology University of Oregon Charleston, Oregon 97420 Contract No. 79-111 Project Officer Jay F. Watson U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 500 N.E. Multnomah Street Portland, Oregon 97232 Performed for National Coastal Ecosystems Team Office of Biological Services Fish and Wildlife Service U.S. Department of Interior Washington, D.C. 20240 Table of Contents Introduction CNIDARIA Hydrozoa Aequorea aequorea ................................................................ 6 Obelia longissima .................................................................. 8 Polyorchis penicillatus 10 Tubularia crocea ................................................................. 12 Anthozoa Anthopleura artemisia ................................. 14 Anthopleura elegantissima .................................................. 16 Haliplanella luciae .................................................................. 18 Nematostella vectensis ......................................................... 20 Metridium senile .................................................................... 22 NEMERTEA Amphiporus imparispinosus ................................................ 24 Carinoma mutabilis ................................................................ 26 Cerebratulus californiensis .................................................. 28 Lineus ruber .........................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Abstract Volume
    ABSTRACT VOLUME August 11-16, 2019 1 2 Table of Contents Pages Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………………………………...1 Abstracts Symposia and Contributed talks……………………….……………………………………………3-225 Poster Presentations…………………………………………………………………………………226-291 3 Venom Evolution of West African Cone Snails (Gastropoda: Conidae) Samuel Abalde*1, Manuel J. Tenorio2, Carlos M. L. Afonso3, and Rafael Zardoya1 1Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biologia Evolutiva 2Universidad de Cadiz, Departamento CMIM y Química Inorgánica – Instituto de Biomoléculas (INBIO) 3Universidade do Algarve, Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR) Cone snails form one of the most diverse families of marine animals, including more than 900 species classified into almost ninety different (sub)genera. Conids are well known for being active predators on worms, fishes, and even other snails. Cones are venomous gastropods, meaning that they use a sophisticated cocktail of hundreds of toxins, named conotoxins, to subdue their prey. Although this venom has been studied for decades, most of the effort has been focused on Indo-Pacific species. Thus far, Atlantic species have received little attention despite recent radiations have led to a hotspot of diversity in West Africa, with high levels of endemic species. In fact, the Atlantic Chelyconus ermineus is thought to represent an adaptation to piscivory independent from the Indo-Pacific species and is, therefore, key to understanding the basis of this diet specialization. We studied the transcriptomes of the venom gland of three individuals of C. ermineus. The venom repertoire of this species included more than 300 conotoxin precursors, which could be ascribed to 33 known and 22 new (unassigned) protein superfamilies, respectively. Most abundant superfamilies were T, W, O1, M, O2, and Z, accounting for 57% of all detected diversity.
    [Show full text]
  • Schmitt-2011-Thalassas.Pdf
    Thalassas, 27 (2): 225-238 An International Journal of Marine Sciences BEHAVIORAL ADAPTATIONS IN RELATION TO LONG-TERM RETENTION OF ENDOSYMBIOTIC CHLOROPLASTS IN THE SEA SLUG Elysia timida (OPISTHOBRANCHIA, SACOGLOSSA) VALÉRIE SCHMITT (1, 2) & HEIKE WÄGELE (1) Key words: Sacoglossa, endosymbiosis, chloroplasts, retention, phototaxis, photobehavior. ABSTRACT in basins with running seawater and natural light through a glass window. Behavioral observations A comparative study was performed to analyze and PAM-measurements were performed in 4 time differences in evolutionary adaptations in two sea intervals in the course of an observation day in slug species, Elysia timida with long-term retention of daylight and dark-adapted conditions. Phototactic endosymbiotic chloroplasts and Thuridilla hopei with behavior was found to be present in both compared short-term retention of endosymbiotic chloroplasts. species, although the phototactic reaction was Both sacoglossan species stem from the same habitat more pronounced in E. timida. Phototaxis was also and show similar body sizes and structures with observed in juvenile E. timida before sequestration parapodial lobes whose position can be actively of first Acetabularia-chloroplasts, which indicates varied by the slugs. Ethological analyses were carried no direct current influence of the endosymbiotic out concerning the positioning of parapodia and chloroplasts. Other parameters, however, like the other photobehavioral parameters like phototaxis. In positioning of the parapodia, were observed to parallel, photosynthetic activity was measured with be significantly different between the long-term a Pulse Amplitude Modulated Fluorometer (PAM). and short-term storing species. While an adapted In total, 252 E. timida individuals and 63 T. hopei changing of the parapodia’s position in reaction to individuals were included in the analysis.
    [Show full text]
  • An Annotated Checklist of the Marine Macroinvertebrates of Alaska David T
    NOAA Professional Paper NMFS 19 An annotated checklist of the marine macroinvertebrates of Alaska David T. Drumm • Katherine P. Maslenikov Robert Van Syoc • James W. Orr • Robert R. Lauth Duane E. Stevenson • Theodore W. Pietsch November 2016 U.S. Department of Commerce NOAA Professional Penny Pritzker Secretary of Commerce National Oceanic Papers NMFS and Atmospheric Administration Kathryn D. Sullivan Scientific Editor* Administrator Richard Langton National Marine National Marine Fisheries Service Fisheries Service Northeast Fisheries Science Center Maine Field Station Eileen Sobeck 17 Godfrey Drive, Suite 1 Assistant Administrator Orono, Maine 04473 for Fisheries Associate Editor Kathryn Dennis National Marine Fisheries Service Office of Science and Technology Economics and Social Analysis Division 1845 Wasp Blvd., Bldg. 178 Honolulu, Hawaii 96818 Managing Editor Shelley Arenas National Marine Fisheries Service Scientific Publications Office 7600 Sand Point Way NE Seattle, Washington 98115 Editorial Committee Ann C. Matarese National Marine Fisheries Service James W. Orr National Marine Fisheries Service The NOAA Professional Paper NMFS (ISSN 1931-4590) series is pub- lished by the Scientific Publications Of- *Bruce Mundy (PIFSC) was Scientific Editor during the fice, National Marine Fisheries Service, scientific editing and preparation of this report. NOAA, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115. The Secretary of Commerce has The NOAA Professional Paper NMFS series carries peer-reviewed, lengthy original determined that the publication of research reports, taxonomic keys, species synopses, flora and fauna studies, and data- this series is necessary in the transac- intensive reports on investigations in fishery science, engineering, and economics. tion of the public business required by law of this Department.
    [Show full text]
  • Integrative Systematics of the Genus Limacia in the Eastern Pacific
    Mar Biodiv DOI 10.1007/s12526-017-0676-5 ORIGINAL PAPER Integrative systematics of the genus Limacia O. F. Müller, 1781 (Gastropoda, Heterobranchia, Nudibranchia, Polyceridae) in the Eastern Pacific Roberto A. Uribe1 & Fabiola Sepúlveda2 & Jeffrey H. R. Goddard3 & Ángel Valdés4 Received: 6 December 2016 /Revised: 22 February 2017 /Accepted: 27 February 2017 # Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2017 Abstract Morphological examination and molecular analy- from Baja California to Panama. Species delimitation analyses ses of specimens of the genus Limacia collected in the based on molecular data and unique morphological traits from Eastern Pacific Ocean indicate that four species of Limacia the dorsum, radula, and reproductive systems are useful in occur in the region. Limacia cockerelli,previouslyconsidered distinguishing these species to range from Alaska to Baja California, is common only in the northern part of its former range. An undescribed Keywords Mollusca . New species . Molecular taxonomy . pseudocryptic species, previously included as L. cockerelli, Pseudocryptic species occurs from Northern California to the Baja California Peninsula and is the most common species of Limacia in Southern California and Northern Mexico. Another new spe- Introduction cies similar to L. cockerelli is described from Antofagasta, Chile and constitutes the first record of the genus Limacia in Molecular markers have become a powerful tool in tax- the Southeastern Pacific Ocean. These two new species are onomy, systematics and phylogeny, allowing researchers formally described herein. Finally, Limacia janssi is a genet- to assess whether morphological variations correspond to ically and morphologically distinct tropical species ranging different species or merely represent intra-specific pheno- typic expression due to environmental variation (Hebert Communicated by V.
    [Show full text]